Heating system and element thereof



Nov. 5, 1935.

Fil ed se t. 9, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ALBERT S. Hammcn Patented Now 5, 1935 PATENT OFFICE 2,020,183 HEATING SYSTEM AND murmur THEREOF Albert s. neinnca wesi Orange, N. J. Application September 9, 1932, Serial No. 632,415 14 Claims. (01. 237-1123) My invention relates to vapor heating systems and elements thereof. More particularly, it relates to systems for use in airplanes or other motor vehicles which utilize heat contained in the exhaust of the motor to keep warm the interior of the vehicle.

The principal object of my invention is provide a new and improved vaporizer for use in vapor heating systems on vehicles which is heated by the exhaust from the motor of the vehicle and the temperature of which is controlled by mixing cold air with the exhaust gases in such proportions as to vaporize the desired amount 01'. heating -fluid. More particularly, it is my object to direct the air through which the vehicle is moving through the vaporizer, so that variations in the speed of the vehicle will cause an increase in the cooling which will substantially offset the variations in available heat in the exhaust caused by the varying loads on the motor. In this manner, when the device is set to give a certain temperature in the interior of the vehicle, variations in speed do not aflfect the heat greatly enough to make constant adjustment necessary. Furthermore, it is my object to provide a simple typeof regulation which includes a deflecting plate or valve which can be tilted manually or automatically to vary the-flow of air to the vaporizer.

In addition, I seek to arrange a vaporizer for such systems. which can be supported by and mounted on the usual exhaustpipe without removing any portion thereof with regulating means formed as a part of the vaporizer and likewise supported by the pipe.

A further object of my invention is to provide a special vapor heating system for use with the vaporizer described above. In this system, vapor passes first to a radiator within, the vehicle in which it is largely condensed and then to a condenser-reservoir in which any uncondensed vapor iscondensed and which is large enough to hold all the fluid used in the system. In this manner,.alth0ugh the vaporizer is'constantly' heated by the exhaust gases passing therethrough, all the heat carrying fluid may be vaporized and collected away from the vapfi'izer when no heating is desired so that no transmission of heat occurs. More particularly, I pro-.

vide in the return line from the reservoir to the vaDQ izera valve which is closed when the system isnot to be used, so that the fluid will all collect in the reservoir.

It will be understood that the collector-reservoir system to be described below is particularly useful where the vaporizer. is heated by exhaust or waste heat, and especially with a vaporizer which can be exposed to the flow of air to partially cool the same. It is of course well known that in ordinary liquid vaporizers, such'as those 5 heated by a flame, there is great danger of burning out when all the fluid-is vaporized. On the other hand,'although in my system all the fluid passes from the vaporizer to the reservoir, the fact that only the heat of the exhaust is relied 10 on makes it very unlikely that the temperature will be high enough to damage the vaporizer. In addition, by opening thedeflecting plate to the fullest extent, large quantities of air can sweep through the device and keep' it comparatively 15 cool. Whereas in a flame heated vaporizer it would be necessary to cut down or extinguish the flame, I obtain a positive cooling while in order. to resume the heating operation it is only neces-- sary .to open the valve in the return line from 20 the condenser and adjust the air valve.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be understood more fully from the following description .when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which form a part 25 thereof.

.' Inthe drawings;

Fig. 1 shows'in side elevation an airplane with my heating system installed therein. 7 M

Fig. 2 shows the vaporizer in side elevation. 30 ,Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are cross sections on the lines 3-3, 4-4, and 5-5 respectively of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a detail showing of the heating sys-' tem 5. It consists primarily of a substantially ellip- 4 tical boiler element 22 havinga front end wall 23 through the upper part of which the exhaust pipe 6 passes to supply heat to the interior of the boiler and to support it at the same time. The

lower half of the boiler is provided with a plu- 50 rality of flue tubes 24 opening to-the air at the. rear end.- These tubes of course do not communicate with the interior of the boiler.

. At the front end of the boiler, the sidewalls are extended as at 26, and the lower part of the Fig. 1 is shown an airplane having a cabin 35 I exhaust pipe is cut out at 28 within the shield formed by the wall extensions 26. In the extensions 26 is a pivot 30 on which a deflecting plate or valve 32 is mounted, operable by a lever system 34 secured to the pivot 30. Horizontal walls 36 and vertical walls 38 extend from the sections 26 to the exhaust pipe, while a further horizontal plate 40 extends between the sections 26 just below the pipe 8. The extensions 26 form a semicylindrical valve casing, the lower edge of valve 32 being elliptical in shape so as to flt the extension when in the closed position shown in broken lines in Fig. 2. The upper edge of the valve is straight and contacts with the wall or plate 40-.

The vaporizer is provided with an inlet 42 in the bottom and an outlet 44 at the top.

Fig. 6 shows the complete system. From the outlet of the vaporizer l2 the vapor passes through pipe l4 to the radiator ill in which the greater part of the vapor is condensed, giving up its heat of vaporization to the cabin. From the radiator the liquid and any uncondensed vapor pass through pipe l6to a condenser-reservoir l8 located outside the cabin. .This reservoir consists of a lower portion 46 from which pipes 48 extend upwardly to an upper portion'SlI, the pipes serving to cool and condense any vapor which has passed through the radiator. A vent 52 extends from the top of portion 50 and is open to the atmosphere so as to relieve any excessive pressures which may occur. The volume of the condenserreservoir is suflicient to hold all the liquid in the system.

From the reservoir, the liquid condensate flows through pipe 20 to the inlet of the vaporizer. The pipe is provided with a check valve 54 which permits flow from the condenser to the boiler only. I also provide a manually operated shut-off valve 56 in the pipe 20 for a purpose to be described below.

It will be noted that the condenser-reservoir is located above the vaporizer so that the head in the condenser will be suflicient to force the condensate back into the boiler against thepressure existing therein. A pump could also be used if desired. Also, I have shown pipes 53, 60 leading from the reservoir and radiator in an oppo-- site direction from those heretofore described. These pipes may be connected to a similar vaporizer mounted on the exhaust pipe of a second engine in a multi-engine plane.

The operation should be clear from the foregoing description. When the system is in operation, the valve. 56 is open and the system is supplied with some liquid having a high boiling point and a low freezing point, preferably ethylene glycol. The heat of the exhaust vaporizes the liquid and the vapor flows to the radiator where it is largely condensed. From the radiator the condensate and a slight amount of vapor passes to the condenser-reservoir where the remainder of the vapor is condensed. The height of the reservoir gives a suflicient head to force the condensate back into the boiler through the check valve.

When the cabin is cold, the deflecting plate is in the closed position shown in broken lines in Fig. 2 and exhaust gas flows through the pipe 8 and the flue tubes, thus quickly heating the liquid. The heating eiIect may be regulated as desired by opening the valve 32, thereby admitting air which mixes with and cools the exhaust gases which pass through the flue tubes and reduces the rapidity of vaporization of .the liquid. When the valve is set in any position; since the inlet of the vaporizer is directed forward, increase in the speed of the motors and the resulting increase in the available heat in the exhaust will cause, by the increased speed of the vehicle, a greater flow of air so that a substantial balance will be preserved.

When the system is no longer needed, the valve 56 is closed. The liquid still in the vaporizer continues to pass over as vapor to the radiator, but since the return passage is closed the supply is quickly exhausted and the condensate remains in the reservoir and radiator. Thus, although the exhaust continues to heat the vaporizer,'it has no effect on the cabin since there is no medium to carry the heat. Also, the valve 32 can be opened and thus exert a decided cooling eflect on the boiler.

' When the valve 56 is reopened, the liquid will flow to the vaporizer and the heating will continue.

If desired, the valve 32 may be controlled by a thermostat 62 of any well known type so as to preserve a constant temperature in the cabin.

While I have described herein one embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not intend to limit myself thereby except within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A closed heating system for a vehicle having a space to be heated and a motor provided with an exhaust pipe, comprising a vaporizer mounted on said exhaust pipe and heated thereby, a radiator located in said space tobe heated, means to conduct vapor from said vaporizer to the top of said radiator,.a condenser, means to conduct vapor and condensate from said radiator to said condenser, means to conduct condensate from said condenser to said vaporizer, and means to close said last named conducting means, the volume of said radiator and condenser being sumcient to hold all the heat carrying fluid necessary for the operation of the heating system.

2. In a heating system as claimed in claim 1, means to admit air to said vaporizer to cool the same.

3. A heating system for a vehicle having a space to be heated and a motor providedwith an exhaust pipe through which exhaust gases flow at all times duringoperation of the motor, comprising a vaporizer'mounted on said exhaust pipe and heated thereby at all times, a radiator located in. said space to be heated, means to conduct vapor from said vaporizer to the top of said radiator, a condenser, means to conduct vapor and condensate from said radiator to said condenser, means to conduct condensate from said condenser to said vaporizer, and means to close said last named conducting means, the volume of said radiator and condenser being sufficient to hold all the heat carrying fluid necessary for the operation of the heating system.

4. In combination with a motor having an exhaust pipe, a vaporizer comprising a boiler having a water receiving chamber mounted on and surrounding said pipe and supported thereby, 65

through said boiler,- said tubes being open atthe .opening therein in front of the boiler and ad-' jacent the tubes, whereby exhaust gases may 'front of said boiler to permit the nowbr therethrqugh; and means to regulate the flow of and exhaust gas.

air

air to the tubes, said exhaust pipe having an flow through said tubes. I

6. In combination with a motor having an ex-- haust pipe, a vaporizer comprising a boiler having a water receiving chamber mounted on and surrounding said pipe and supported thereby, tubes extending longitudinally through said chamber and in contact with the water therein, said tubes being open at the front of said boiler to permit the how of air therethrough, the walls of said boiler being extended forward adjacent said tubes, and a valve mounted between such forward extensions adapted to. close the passage formed thereby so as to prevent access of air to said tubes.

7. In combination with a motor having an exhaust pipe, a vaporizer comprising a' boiler mounted on and surrounding said pipe and supported thereby, bes extending longitudinally through said boiler, said tubes being open at the front of said boiler to permit the flow of air therethrough, the walls of said-boiler being extended forward adjacent said tubes, and a valve mounted between such forward extensions adapted to close the passage formed thereby so as to prevent access of air to said tubes, said exhaust pipe having an opening therein in front of the boiler and adjacent the tubes opening into said passage, whereby exhaust gases may flow through said 8. In combination with a motor having an ex haust pipe, a vaporizer mounted on said exhaust pipe and including a plurality of flue tubes, means to supply air and exhaust gas to said tubes, and

means .to regulate the relative quantities of air 9. A vaporizer comprising a boiler element the upper part or which is adapted to receive an exhaust pipe extending therethrough, the lower part of said boiler having a plurality of flue tubes longitudinally thereof, the walls of said lower portion-being extended to form a passage through which air flows to said tubes and the upper part of which will be closed by an exhaust'p pe extending through the boiler, and a valve mounted in said passagefor controlling the. ing a motor, including orlzerheated at all so some. l

10. A closed heating system for a vehicle having a motor, including a vaporizer heated at all r times by the exhaust from said motor, means to admit air tosaid vaporizer t0 condensing astem, means to'conduct vapor from the, vaporizer to, the condensing system, means to conduct condensate'from'the condensing system to the vaporizergand means to close'said last cool the same, a

named conducting means, .the ,volume of said condensing system being suflicient to hold all the heat carrying fluid necessary for the operation of the heating system. i

11. Aelosed heating-system-forayehicle hav-' a permit the flow of air therethrough, means to flowof air to the tubes, a condensb'y exhaust gases may flow through a a condensing system, means to conduct vapor $5 system, means to conduct vapor from the vaporizer to the condensing system, means to.

conduct condensate from the condensing system to the vaporizer, and means to close said last named conducting means, the volume of said con- 5 densing system being suflicient to hold all the heat carrying fluid necessary for the operation of the heating system.

12. A closed heating system for a vehicle having a motor, including a vaporizer heated at all-1o times by the exhaust from said motor, said va-- porizer comprising a boiler mounted on and surrounding saidexhaust pipe and supported thereby, tubes extending longitudinally through said boiler, said tubes being open at the front of said 15 boiler to permit the flow oi air ,therethrough,. means to regulate the flow of air to the tubes, said exhaust pipe having an opening therein in front of the boiler and adjacent the tubes, whereby exhaust gases may flow through said tubes, 20 a condensing system, means to conduct vapor from the vaporizer to the condensing U system means to conduct condensate from the condensing system to the vaporizer, and means to close said last named conducting means, the volume 25 of saidconden'sing' system being sufficient to hold all theheat carrying fluid necessary for the operation of the heating system.

13. A closed heating system for a vehicle having a motor, including a vaporizer heated at all so times by the exhaust from said motor, said vaporizer having a boiler mounted onand' surrounding said exhaust pipe and supported thereby, tubes extending longitudinally throughsaid boiler, said I tubes being open at the front! of said boiler to 35 permit the flow of air therethrough, the walls of said boiler being extended forward adjacent said tubes, and a valve mounted between said forward extensions adapted -to-.close the passage formedthereby so as to prevent access of air to m to hold all the heat carrying fluid necessary for the operation of the heating system.

14. A closed heating system fora vehicle havi times by the exhaust from said motor, said va-; porizer comprising a boiler mounted on and surrounding said exhaust pipeand supported thereby, tubes extending longitudinally through saidboiler, said tubes being open at the front of said boiler to permit the flow of air therethrough,

the walls of said boiler being extended forward adjacent said tubes, and a valve mounted between such forward extension adapted to close the passage formed thereby so as to prevent access of airto said tubes, said exhaust pipehaving a'n opening therein in front of the boiler and'ad-' jacent the tubes opening into said e, where-= said tubes,

from the vaporizer to the condensing system, means to conduct condensate from the condensing system to the vaporizer, and means to close T said lastjnamed conducting means, the volume of said condensing system being sumcient to i hold all the heat carrying fluid necessary for the operation-of the heating system.

ALBERT s. nnnmrcn. 

